Trump strike marks first confirmed US attack in Venezuela: report

The CIA reportedly conducted a drone strike targeting a Venezuelan coastal port facility, according to a new report, marking the first publicly confirmed U.S. attack on a target within the country's territory.

The operation targeted what officials believed was a Tren de Aragua operation hub that was used to store drugs and then move them onto boats for shipping, CNN reported late Monday, citing sources. No one was at the facility when it was hit, the sources said.

Trump appeared to reference the strike during a Dec. 26 interview, describing a "big facility where ships come from" related to Venezuela operations. When pressed on Monday, he elaborated that the strike hit "the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs." He avoided specifying which agency conducted it.

“So we hit all the boats, and now we hit the area,” Trump said Monday. “It’s the implementation area, that’s where they implement, and that is no longer around.”

This action represents an escalation in the Trump administration's Venezuela campaign. Previously, US operations had focused on destroying suspected trafficking vessels in international waters, with over 30 boats targeted in the Caribbean and Pacific.

Trump subsequently imposed a blockade on sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. He had earlier expanded CIA operational authority throughout Latin America, enabling this inland strike that would normally fall outside military jurisdiction.

An unnamed source characterized the strike as symbolically significant but practically limited, noting the facility represented just one among numerous trafficking hubs.